About
A multi-flowered slipper orchid of montane forest in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Yunnan and Assam, with long, twisted, spoon-tipped petals.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Not recorded. We have no source on whether this plant is safe for cats, dogs or other pets — that is not the same as safe. Keep it out of reach until you have checked.
- People
- Not recorded.
- Light
- Shade-loving: roughly 1,000–2,000 foot-candles, such as an east or west window or a shaded south window. General guidance for the genus
- Water
- Keep the mix evenly moist but never soggy; do not leave the pot standing in water. General guidance for the genus
- Humidity
- Moderate, about 40–50%; a tray of damp gravel helps, with steady air movement. General guidance for the genus
- Temperature
- Nights about 13–22 °C (55–72 °F), days 21–29 °C (70–85 °F); mottled-leaf and multi-flowered types prefer the warmer end, plain green-leaved types the cooler end. General guidance for the genus
- Soil
- Fine to medium fir bark with perlite, sand or sphagnum; limestone-dwelling species appreciate added limestone chips or oyster shell. General guidance for the genus
- Pot
- Repot about every two years, or sooner if the mix breaks down. General guidance for the genus
- Propagation
- Divide established clumps into groups of three to five growths; single growths may take time to flower. General guidance for the genus
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
Five to eight thick, clear green leaves up to 45 cm long. A stalk 50–70 cm long opens 2–7 flowers at once, each about 7.5 cm across, with long twisted petals that taper to spoon-shaped tips.
Distribution & habitat
Northern and western Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Yunnan (China) and Assam (India), at 1,200–2,200 m in humid, shady broadleaf forest.
Ecology
Grows in thick moss on boulders or on Terminalia branches. It can self-pollinate: the pollen liquefies and flows onto the stigma, a likely adaptation to scarce insects. The hoverfly Allograpta robinsoni is its main pollinator.
History & etymology
Named after Charles Parish, an English botanist and plant collector in Burma. Placed in section Pardalopetalum.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, China, India
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
- Temperature
- Nights about 13–22 °C (55–72 °F), days 21–29 °C (70–85 °F); mottled-leaf and multi-flowered types prefer the warmer end, plain green-leaved types the cooler end.
- Humidity
- Moderate, about 40–50%; a tray of damp gravel helps, with steady air movement.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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